Complicated
by cassgrl087
Summary: Takes place after Against All Odds. Emma & Chris are heating things up since he & Milanda broke up. Sean finds himself unusually jealous. Craig knows he has to stop seeing Manny. Jimmy meets up with an old crush. REVIEW!
1. Default Chapter

Complicated 

If you don't mind me saying, I'm totally rocking up the fan fiction dot net world.  I have two Radio Free Roscoe stories up (_Complicated_ & _A Travis Lily Story_), this little Degrassi one and a co-written Harry Potter story (_Finding My Way Back_). Go me. So let's hope this fic is just as successful as my last two, _Be Mine_ and _Invincible_. I'm crossing my fingers! 

Summary: Takes place after Against All Odds. Emma & Chris are heating things up since he and Milanda broke up while Sean finds himself unusually jealous. Craig knows he has to stop seeing Manny but how is she going to take that? Blackmail, anyone? And is Jimmy going to finally find a girl? Hmmm…

"I am _not_ a slut. You are going to regret that, Emma Nelson." Manny Santos said harshly to her ex-best friend. 

"Oh really? What are you going to do? I don't have a boyfriend you can hook up with." Emma knew that was cruel to say but Manny crossed the line. "You know what, I don't want to talk to you anymore." Emma continued, turning away. Manny opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't find the words.  Tears formed behind her eyes. 

"Hurry up, Miss Nelson." Miss Kwan said. "I already started class." 

"Sorry Miss Kwan." Emma muttered, taking her seat. 

"Do you know where Miss Santos is, Emma?" Miss Kwan asked, obviously irritated. 

"No." Emma said without looking up. "No idea." Miss Kwan shrugged. In the background you could see Chris, wondering what was wrong. 

Throughout the entire class, Manny never showed. When the bell rang, Emma quickly gathered her books. Before she could leave, Chris appeared in front of her. 

"Hey Emma." He said. She looked up at him, buckling her backpack. 

"Hi Chris." She sighed. "Um, look, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry-" He began to laugh. 

"Don't apologize anymore, Emma." He said.

"But-" She protested. 

"Nah, listen. I'm the one who should be sorry. Milanda and I were fighting and you were there…and…" 

"I was being totally manipulative. I didn't mean to." Their eyes connected for a minute and then Chris nodded. 

"You're not mad?" He asked.

"Of course not." She reassured him, walking towards the door. 

"Hey, why don't you sit with us today at lunch?" He asked, since that's where they were both headed. She hardly even had to consider.

"I'd love to." 

Meanwhile…

Manny stood in front of the mirror in the girls' bathroom. Now with her conscience Emma gone, she could do whatever she wanted. And what she wanted was to hang out with Paige and Hazel and make Craig _her_ boyfriend. Not Ash's. She applied a little more eyeliner, added glitter and put an extra coat of 'Fiery Red' lip-gloss on. She pulled her capri's down a tad and moved the straps of her tank towards her shoulder, revealing just a hint of her lacy bra. 'Perfect.' She said to herself and smiled in the mirror. 'This begins my last step of transformation.'  Just then Paige walked into the bathroom. 

"Hey sex kitten!" She said, almost in shock. "You look great!" 

"Why thank you." Manny said and fluttered her eyelids to her reflection. 

"Lunch?" Paige asked while applying a little more of her own lip-gloss. 

"You bet." Manny replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder. 

In the Lunchroom…

   While Emma was cozy up in the corner with Chris and his gang, Manny was in the center of the cafeteria with Paige, Hazel, Spinner, Jimmy, and a few other people. 

            "Dude, Jimmy, would you stop staring at her?" 

            "What are you talking about, Spin?" Jimmy turned to look at Spinner, who was holding hands with Paige. 

"Ellie." Spinner said, pointing to the girl clad in a plaid pleated skirt, big black boots, a blank tank and dark denim jacket. 

"Ellie?" Paige said, turning to Jimmy. "You have the hots for Ellie?" 

"No." Jimmy said. "Didn't you see her at the beach? She was a total drag." He said, returning to his lunch. Paige and Spinner exchanged glances. And they couldn't help but notice his gaze slowly returning back to Ellie, who went to the other part of the cafeteria with Ashley and Craig. 

"So. Are you guys up for that Linkin Park concert Friday?" She asked the couple. 

"Linkin Park? How'd you get tickets?" Craig said, picking at something brown and chunky on his plate. 

"I bought them like, last year." She replied, smiling. "Going?" Ash looked up. 

"I can't. We're visiting some of Toby's relatives." She said regretfully.

"C'mon! My mom will never let me go if someone doesn't go with me. And they're a really good band!"

"I'd want to go. But I missed curfew by a half hour over the weekend." Craig immediately regretted saying that. What if Ash found out where he was? But Ashley didn't catch on. She just laughed. Craig breathed out, relieved. He needed to end this Manny thing soon.   
  



	2. Breaking up is hard to do

**Complicated Chapter two **

**_You have to keep in mind that in my story, Holiday doesn't exist. Thanks!_**

            The next day was Thursday. Emma walked to school on her own but met up with JT halfway there. He was riding his skateboard. 

            "Hey." She said. "SITE meeting after school today. Are you coming?" 

            "Wish I could." He replied. 

            "No you don't." Emma said and smiled. JT laughed. 

            "Seriously though, I have mascot practice tonight." 

            "Mascot practice? Right. Nice try." Emma said, shaking her head. JT jumped off his skateboard and stopped to take off his helmet. 

            "That wasn't an excuse! I'm serious!" He called after her. She rolled her eyes and kept walking. Emma looked around and spotted Chris sitting on the wall next to the steps. His head was down but his headphones weren't on. 

            "Chris?" She asked, worried. His head popped up and then he relaxed after seeing it was only Emma. 

            "Oh. Hey." She sat down next to him. 

            "Hey. What's wrong?" He looked up at her. 

            "Me 'n Melanda broke up." He said. Emma sighed.  

            "Oh. I'm sorry." She touched his arm gently. 

            "Yo, Cameron, what's your deal?" Jay said, punching Sean in the shoulder. His group and their car were across the school grounds. Jay followed Sean's gaze right to Chris and Emma.  "C'mon, I thought you and Alex were together. Not you and that chick." 

            "Who?" Sean said, getting up and acting tough. "I don't like her anymore. I don't even know her." Jay laughed and slapped Sean on the back. 

            "So, Manny, you up for my party Friday?" Paige asked as she, Manny, Spinner, Jimmy and Hazel entered the school property. 

            "You _have_ to be there. Anyone who is anyone is gonna come." Hazel informed her. 

            "Totally. Wouldn't miss it for the world." Manny replied, tossing her hair as she passed Craig, who pretended not to see her. 'Pretend' is the key word since no one could miss Manny today in a barely there denim skirt, completed with a red thong and low V neck red tank. Paige and Hazel didn't even compare. 

            "You're coming, Jimmy, right?" Hazel asked him, walking closer. 

            "Huh, what?" He looked at Hazel. "I'm sure it's gonna be off the hook, but I'm going to a concert tomorrow. My parents got me front row tix." 

            "Awww. Really? With who?" She pouted. 

            "Well, Marco, until he got plans." He cleared his throat. "So I'm flying solo." 

            "Too bad, Jimmy." Paige said. She turned to Manny. "By the way, you look totally hot." 

            "I learned from the master." Manny said, smiling. Paige smiled as well. 

            "Thanks hon, you're sweet. Oh, about my party, are you.bringing Sulley?" She asked as they stopped by the steps to enter the school. Manny didn't even think of Sulley. 

            "Oh, um, we broke up." She lied. Well, they might as well have.

            "I thought you two were the cutest couple!" Hazel exclaimed. 

            "No. We weren't. I've got my sights set on someone else." Manny said, daydreaming. 

            "Who?" Paige asked, brushing a strand of blonde hair away from her face.

            "I can't tell you. Not yet." She smiled, revealing her dimples. 

"Wow. Have you seen Manny lately? It's like she's gone from angel to devil in a week." Ashley said. She, Craig and Ellie were sitting down outside. 

            "If you ask me, it's disgusting." Ellie began, following Manny with her eyes. "I mean, it's like she's selling herself." She said, and then looked away. 

            "Yeah. I'm sure she's doing it for a guys attention." Ashley commented. "What you think, Craig?" She elbowed her boyfriend. He jumped up. 

            "I, uh, yeah. A guy." He said quickly. He was so glad Ash didn't know he was that guy! But he had to tell her. He felt so guilty. Ashley looked at him funny and stood up. 

            "Right." She said. "Okay, I'm gonna get going. Coming?" She asked the other two. 

            "Yeah." Ellie said, standing and brushing off her pants. 

            "Go ahead." Craig said, his homework still scattered on the ground. "I'll see you in Simpson's class." He told Ashley, who shrugged. Craig gathered his stuff up. Once he stood, he almost ran into Manny. 

            "Manny." He said and sighed. 

            "Hey. I'm sorry about this weekend.at Emma's." 

            "Um, no problem." He said, trying to move away. 

            "Look, Craig. Paige is having a party. It starts at seven and ends at one." She handed him an invitation. 

            "Manny I can't go with you. I have a girlfriend." He said in a quieter voice. Manny rolled her eyes. 

            "Then why did you come to the rave?" 

            "I.I." He stuttered. 

            "And back to Emma's house with me?" She asked in a low voice. 

            "Listen, Manny.I think we should-"

            "Ash isn't going to be here all weekend. Just come." She gave him one last glance and walked away, leaving Craig practically shaking. 


End file.
